California is experiencing its worst wildfire season in history, with massive fires destroying homes and killing at least 24 people. The combination of lax building codes, climate change, and strong Santa Ana winds has created a dangerous situation. Experts say that allowing development in fire-prone areas has exacerbated the problem.
From lax implementation of building rules to changing climate, a potent combination of factors rendered destruction by wildfires a matter of when – not if.Los Angeles is home to the Santa Ana winds that blow regularly across the landscape towards the coast. Photo: Reuters
The Palisades area, the highly-coveted Los Angeles residential neighbourhood which several celebrities call home, is right in one of those fire zones. Some of these homes in Palisades, perched on cliffs or nestled in canyons, constituted ripe fuel for wildfires, positioned just so, allowing winds to sweep them onwards with renewed zeal and speed.Los Angeles’s water system is not equipped to deal with massive wildfires like the recent ones but only suitable for more localised fires. Reports have been surfacing of weak water pressure, insufficient water supplies and dry fire hydrants.
Gregory Pierce, director of the UCLA Water Resources Group and an adjunct professor at the Department of Urban Planning, said the problem was not the lack of water but instead, the difficulties posed in quickly getting large amounts of water to a specific point where it was needed. To get to that level would require major investments in power and infrastructure.
Californians living in areas at high risk of wildfires must abide by the five-foot rule, essentially maintaining aaround their residence free of vegetation called a “defensible space” to augment any potential fires. Some residents say that pruning the vegetation on their property did not stop fires this time from catching on unbridled vegetation on neighbouring properties and spreading from there.It might seem counterintuitive, but to eliminate the threat of wildfires, sometimes you just have to start one.this way:
WILDFIRES CLIMATE CHANGE CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODES SANTA ANA WINDS
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